Klenakis Hopes to Settle on Final Five Soon
August 21, 2014 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- College football coaches will tell you that games are won upfront with the offensive and defensive lines. If the University of Louisville is going to be successful this season, it must rely on an experienced offensive line that returns five players who have started games at some point during their career.
The Cardinals have three seniors in Jamon Brown, John Miller and Jake Smith, who have combined for 111 career starts. That gives the Cardinals an experienced unit and could be one of the better lines in the league. Senior Chris Acosta and junior Ryan Mack have starting experience.
"Of course I like them," offensive line coach Chris Klenakis said. :I definitely like them. We've got eight or nine guys that we feel real comfortable with right now and we still have eleven days to prepare. You're always working right up until the last minute, so we'll still look at some other combinations."
Those three players are going to be the core of the offensive line, but there are still a couple of spot on the line that are still up for grabs, but head coach Bobby Petrino is close to deciding on those five who will lead the Cardinals against Miami.
"That's the head coach's call," Klenakis said. "He'll name the starting lineup when he's ready to name it. We'll just keep working until we do."
One player looking to lock down a starting position is junior center Tobijah Hughley, who is making a push to be the team's starting center. He fulfilled a dream on Wednesday when Petrino award the native of Lexington, Ky., a scholarship. Now, he can fulfill another if he is named the starter next Monday.
"What I like about Tobijah is that he brings the intangibles," said Klenakis. "I like guys that are walk-ons. I've had a ton of walk-ons that turn out to be great players because they've had to do things the hard way and they've had to work."
A walk-on from Lafayette High School, Hughley has a great opportunity in front of him, if he is able to earn the starting nod on Labor Day night when the Cards open the season and ACC play against Miami. However, Hughley was so excited when he was able to earn that free ride.
"The moment was indescribable," Hughley said. "I was really speechless when coach Petrino came and got me and told me that he'd be putting me on full scholarship. It was really a dream come true, something I've been working hard for, for three years now. I was very happy about the moment."
Hughley stepped into the lineup in the spring and performed well, giving the Cardinals some depth at that position. Now, just 11 days from the opener, Hughley is in position to earn a starting role.
"He's a quick learner, he likes the game, he's excited about it, he watches a lot of film, " Klenakis said. "He's always asking questions, real eager. He's got that love and passion for the game. Those are fun guys to coach. "
With a lot of experience on the line, Petrino might have the luxury of redshirting some key freshman for the future, but Klenakis knows things can change in an instant.
"You want to get your best guys on the field, obviously," Klenakis said. "Right now they're not in the mix. You never know. Things can change. I've been in the situation where you think a guy is going to redshirt and then game five he's your starter."
Klenakis isn't worried about the future right now he wants to put the best five players out there to help the Cardinals win that season opener against Miami. Who those first five will be, remains the biggest question heading into game week. Hopefully, Klenakis will have those answers soon.
